Chinese bidder refuses to pay for artefacts
Level 3 Advanced
1 Warmer: A five-minute discussion
Have you been to any art galleries or museums recently?
Are there any special exhibitions on in your town or country at the moment?
2 Key words
Fill the gaps with these words from the article.
honorary plunder bidder rankles artefact coarsely
late razed loot merely relics figure
1. An ___________________ is an object that was made a long time ago and is historically important.
2. A ___________________ is someone who tries to buy something at an auction.
3. An adjective used before noun when talking about someone who has died, especially recently:
___________________.
4. A verb meaning to steal things from houses or shops during a war or after a disaster such as a fire or flood:
___________________.
5. Another verb meaning to take valuable things from a place using force, sometimes causing a lot of damage:
___________________.
6. ___________________ is an adjective used to emphasize that something is small or unimportant; a synonym
of simply.
7. ___________________ are objects that have been kept from the past.
8. When a building or town has been completely destroyed, we can say it has been ___________________.
9. When something ___________________ you, it upsets or annoys you for a long time.
10. An ___________________ job is one you do without getting paid for it.
11. ___________________ is used here to mean be able to know or work something out.
12. The opposite of finely: ___________________.
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Chinese bidder refuses to pay for artefacts
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Chinese bidder refuses to pay for 7 Wang Weiming, one of the heads of China’s
Yves Saint Laurent-owned artefacts Lost Cultural Relics Recovery Programme – the
Art collector says bidding for treasures belonging foundation which Cai advises – said she was
to late fashion designer was act of patriotism “not sure” if or when the bronzes would return to
China. “These national treasures are probably
Tania Branigan in Beijing
still in France,” Wang said. “We’ll have to see
March 2, 2009
how the situation develops.”
8 The rabbit and rat heads were part of
1 A Chinese bidder who bought two sculptures
an elaborate fountain which stood in the
owned by the late fashion designer Yves Saint
Yuanmingyuan, the imperial summer residence,
Laurent at a controversial auction has said he will
until it was razed and looted by French and
not pay for the treasures, which were looted from
British troops in 1860.
a Beijing palace during the opium wars.
9 The destruction of the Old Summer Palace
2 The relics were sold in Paris last week, to the
still rankles and Pierre Bergé – Saint Laurent’s
anger of many in China. The telephone bidder
partner and co-owner of a vast art collection
paid €31m (£27m) for the two bronze sculptures.
– further upset Chinese patriots when he offered
3 The Chinese government warned that the sale to return the relics without charge if China would
would affect auctioneer Christie’s development “give the Tibetans back their freedom”.
in China, and even the action movie star Jackie
10 One Chinese expert said the objects were
Chan described the auction as ‘shameful’. While
overpriced. Luo Zhewen, the honorary chairman
a French court ruled that the auction was legal,
of the Cultural Artefact Association, told
Beijing argued that the sculptures should be
Shanghai’s Oriental Morning Post that the two
returned to China.
heads were worth less than 1m Yuan (£103,000).
4 Today, the argument took a fresh twist as Cai “More than that, and the buyer should figure that
Mingchao, an adviser to a Chinese foundation he’s been cheated.”
which seeks to retrieve plundered treasures, told
11 He claimed their real value was as “criminal
a news conference that he was the collector who
evidence” of the destruction of the palace, saying
won the auction.
that they were coarsely made compared with
5 “What I need to stress is that this money cannot other imperial artefacts. “These days, they can
be paid,” he added, describing his bid as a be easily manufactured at small factories in
patriotic act. “I think any Chinese person would Beijing or Guangzhou,” he said.
have stood up at that moment. It was just that the
12 Five of the other fountain heads have been
opportunity came to me. I was merely fulfilling
bought by Chinese business figures and
my responsibilities.”
repatriated, while experts fear the other five may
6 Christie’s had no immediate comment and could have been destroyed. Christie’s three-day sale
not confirm Cai as the bidder, the spokeswoman of Saint Laurent’s art collection earned a total of
Yvonne So told the Associated Press. She said more than €373m.
that if a bidder couldn’t or wouldn’t pay, Christie’s
usually worked with the buyer and vendor to © Guardian News & Media 2009
find a solution. The auction house said the First published in The Guardian, 02/03/09
legal ownership of the pieces had been clearly
confirmed, a view upheld by French courts.
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Chinese bidder refuses to pay for artefacts
Level 3 Advanced
3 Comprehension check
Choose the correct answer according to the information in the article.
1. When did the Opium wars take place? 4. Under what conditions did YSL’s partner offer to
a. In the early-nineteenth century. return the bronzes to China for free?
b. In the mid-nineteenth century. a. If China allows freedom in Tibet.
c. In the mid-eighteenth century. b. Only if all the other bronze heads are returned.
c. Only if China returns stolen French paintings.
2. What were the bronze sculptures a part of?
a. A temple. 5. How much did a Chinese artefact expert say the
b. A throne. bronzes were worth?
c. A fountain. a. €373m
b. 1m Yuan (€118,000)
3. How many heads were on the complete sculpture? c. €31m
a. 2
b. 10
c. 12
4 Role play: A solution-finding meeting
In the article, Yvonne So said that Christie’s usually works with the buyer and vendor to find a solution.
Below is a similar (imaginary) situation in which a valuable artefact has been auctioned.
Divide these role cards up among groups of four to six students. Take a few minutes to each prepare what
you want to say and then have a meeting. Your objective is to find a solution that is acceptable to the
majority of the people at the meeting. The auction house representative should chair the meeting.
1. auction house representative 2. private collector 3. adviser to the government
You are the Chair of the meeting. You were the highest bidder at the The artefact originally came from your
You need to make sure that there auction. You believe you are now country and you think it should be
is a satisfactory solution to the the rightful owner of the artefact. returned for free. It was taken from
problem and that your auction You plan to keep the artefact in a tomb by foreign archaeologists. It
house doesn’t lose money or its your private collection which is not is rumoured that many slaves died
good reputation. open to the public. whilst building the tomb.
4. curator of a museum 5. vendor / seller 6. another role / wild card
You believe that artefacts such as The artefact has been in your family This is a wild card. You can bring
these should be kept in a museum for many years and you see it as in a further point of view using this
for everybody to see. Also you a family heirloom. Unfortunately role card.
know that the artefacts are safest you are now forced to sell it so that Who are you?
in your museum as they would be you can finance repairs to your What is your opinion?
kept in conditions that will ensure stately home.
their preservation.
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Chinese bidder refuses to pay for artefacts
Level 3 Advanced
5 Discussion
Have you ever placed a bid in an auction?
What type of auction was it?
What did you bid for?
Did you win the auction?
6 Webquest
What can you find out about other artefacts from around the world that have been removed from their
countries of origin and whose governments are demanding their return? For example:
• The Elgin Marbles (or Parthenon Marbles)
• The bust of Queen Nefertiti
• Inca relics from Machu Picchu
• Antique Khmer sculptures
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Chinese bidder refuses to pay for artefacts
Level 3 Advanced
KEY
2 Key words
1. artefact
2. bidder
3. late
4. loot
5. plunder
6. merely
7. relics
8. razed
9. rankles
10. honorary
11. figure
12. coarsely
3 Comprehension check
1. b
2. c
3. c
4. a
5. b
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